What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

Page 111

"Yes, but as you know, the final decision rests with Lady Celia, so I'll just..."

Although Zanze really wanted to agree to his request, she wasn't very good at dealing with Celie, after all, their personalities were somewhat...incompatible.

Ash's request left her completely baffled.

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Although Zanze thought obtaining formal permission should be very simple for Ash, in reality... Ash also had his own difficulties.

Although he would often handle some matters when he was present at the branch, he never truly took over the position of branch manager.

Because he didn't want to be tied down here, and he was even reluctant to handle matters, completely unwilling to get involved in the Magic Association's affairs... Not only would it be pointless, but it would basically be a waste of money to cause trouble.

A first-level mage is also considered Celie's disciple, and there's also Celie's ultimate reward involved. So Celie, who knows him well, understands that if he were to make the final decision, he would definitely find a whole bunch of people to take away the magic he wants.

Therefore, he was also restricted; even when he participated in the assessment, he could only occasionally act as an examiner, but in the end, it was Celia who made the final evaluation.

After much deliberation, Ash simply said, "...If all else fails, just give me a document directly."

“This is a bit…”

"After all these years of friendship, you're unwilling to grant me even this simple request?"

"That's not it... It's just that Lady Celie came all the way from the Holy Capital this time..." Since the matter involved Celie, Zanze really didn't want to get involved, and his expressionless little face was full of resistance.

“Seria? That lazy girl only cares about first-level mages, what a nuisance…” This news wasn’t unexpected, but Ash also understood that getting the special anti-counterfeiting seal from Seria was really unrealistic given the current situation.

Because under normal circumstances, Celia would definitely not care and wouldn't mind if he gave it to her directly, but... if Ash really wanted it, Celia really wouldn't be willing to give it to him.

For a normal person, a little coaxing would suffice, but it's very difficult to pretend not to care in front of Celie. Her intuition, which is so strong, is almost like having a cheat code.

So he could only turn his attention back to the girl in front of him, who was already trying to escape: "Zanze, think of something."

Even if you say that... I still...

"It's definitely more convenient for you to go than for me! Besides, I've always doted on you. Now that you're a little older, don't you want your old lady anymore?"

Zanze looked distressed, while Ash kept shaking her shoulders, making the legal loli dizzy.

Even though she was dizzy and lightheaded, she still let him shake her and resolutely refused to give in:

"...That's not true, Lord Ash...Everything else is fine, but this is...well, it's beyond my capabilities, and impossible to do..."

"Have you forgotten what you said to me when I was testing you?" He brought up the past with a passionate expression, even sounding somewhat remorseful. "Has a comfortable life made you so decadent that you've forgotten your past ambitions and thrown everything to the back of your mind?!"

Ash's passionate speech seemed to have ignited the atmosphere, but Zanze felt inexplicably like he'd swallowed a fly, and reluctantly whispered:

"Of course I remember. Back then, when you were maliciously attacking me, I said—'Making the impossible possible is the mark of a first-class mage...' So I will definitely make the impossible possible."

"Yes, you still remember, don't you?! So...!"

“However, I now understand that even a first-level mage has limits.” This was the only thing Zanze seemed very certain about.

"Why? Are you going to give up without even trying?"

"Because... trying to get something from Lady Celia without her permission is simply not something a human could do... I may be a first-class mage, but I'm still human..."

"Don't say discouraging things, Zanze! Show me your courage as a human being again! You must believe in yourself, the one I believe in!"

Ash tried to reason with the girl and help her regain her spirits.

But after a large bowl of chicken soup, Zanze still couldn't hide his resistance, and before he could get any more encouragement... a strange female voice came from behind him.

"—Lord Ash! What are you doing?!"

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Philon, who was leisurely climbing the steps with Frilian, saw Ash shaking a cute little girl's hand as soon as he reached the platform, as if he was forcing her to do something.

This made her quicken her pace and rush over while shouting.

Before Ash could turn around, Philon, who had witnessed the scene, was already beside him, grabbing his hand that was shaking Zanze and glaring at him angrily:

"I was wondering why you suddenly ran so fast? I never expected... you'd be bullying a child here!"

"No... this is different from bullying a child." Ash waved his hand in defense, while Zanze, while relieved, couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion and mutter to himself, "...A child? Are you talking about me?"

"What are you doing?" Philon stared intently at him, as if he were about to conduct an interrogation.

“I’m asking Zanze for help…” He had just revealed the truth when Zanze, not forgetting to emphasize his position, said, “…No matter what you say, it’s something I can’t do, so please don’t make things difficult for me.”

"Don't say that. Giving up before even trying isn't your style. I just hope you can..." Ash tried to smooth things over, but before he could finish, Frilian interrupted him, adding insult to injury: "Forcing someone to do something they can't do, isn't that bullying? By the way... you actually have acquaintances in the Magic City."

"Putting aside whether it's bullying or not, you also have connections with acquaintances."

"Me? This child? No... I don't know him at all."

Upon hearing this, Frilian stared at Zanze for a long time, feeling that the child was very strong, but—she had no recollection of him at all.

Ash understood immediately; she had never heard of Celia being there.

However, he felt that bringing it up would be too troublesome, so he decided to give up on explaining it to Frillie and wait for her to discover it herself.

Zanze disagreed no matter what, and after much persuasion, he finally gave up on taking the shortcut and walked silently toward the counter with a sigh.

But before he could take two steps, Philon placed his hand on his shoulder and said expressionlessly, "Wait a minute, Lord Ash, you haven't apologized to this child yet."

"Yes, yes... I'm sorry, Zanze. I'll treat you to a meal sometime." He turned back helplessly, but Zanze shook his head slightly: "Don't worry about it... Rather, I'm sorry I couldn't be of help..."

“What a good child, unlike some people.” Frillian’s words were loaded with meaning.

But Ash pretended not to hear and silently walked to the counter, but... almost as expected, the young clerk was someone he didn't recognize.

The teller, who didn't know him at all, naturally acted in a businesslike manner and directly expressed regret to those who were not qualified.

"...Is there really no other way? Can't we make an exception? Like letting these two demonstrate their abilities?" Lacking confidence in himself, Philon excitedly pointed at the two, trying to persuade them with reason: "Their abilities are absolutely amazing! They're definitely no less than a first-level mage!"

But the teller, just like Zanze before her, looked utterly helpless: "There's really nothing I can do, and it's not something I can control..."

"Let them participate." Before the female clerk could finish speaking, Zanze, who hadn't left, walked over.

"Lord Zanze?"

"Can't I even say it?"

"How...how could that be? Since you've said so, of course we can make an exception!"

Simply because it was the first time they had spoken to Zanze, the overly nervous teller quickly agreed and began registering their information.

Since there's no one else around right now, pulling some strings wouldn't be a problem, but...

"...This world is so dark! Even the Magic Association relies on connections. One day I will tear this hypocritical facade apart!"

Noticing Philen's surprised expression, Ash, seeing that everyone around him except the clerk was someone he knew, simply put on a gentlemanly demeanor, as if he scoffed at the Magic Association's backdoor behavior.

This overly righteous and righteous statement left Zanze stunned. He couldn't understand what Zanze was suddenly talking about. After all, if there really was a conspiracy... Ash would definitely be the ultimate mastermind. Why would someone like this suddenly say such things? Did he want to tear himself apart?

Even Frillian was dumbfounded: "Aren't you just using your connections to suddenly slap yourself in the face?"

"No, I didn't really want to do this either, but... I wanted to try to set a good example for Philon, otherwise what if this child keeps thinking about crooked ways?" He felt it was a bit inappropriate to say this at this moment, but he still spoke sternly to prevent the child from going astray:

"The current situation is a special case, so we can only go through the back door for now, but I will definitely find a way to expose this shady dealings."

"...Lord Ash, aren't you afraid of offending people by saying such things in the Magic Association's headquarters?"

"good?"

"In a typical story, what you just did would be the kind of thing a character would do to silence someone immediately. Please don't make any more dangerous discoveries like that!"

As Philon spoke with considerable concern, he glanced back, wanting to express his gratitude and apology immediately.

But when she turned around, she realized that Zanze had already disappeared after bowing to Ash.

"That child... could he have already gone to have Lord Ash assassinated?" Philon couldn't help but worry, fearing that things might turn out just like the story he had read recently.

But Frillie gently shook her head: "No, that child doesn't seem angry, but rather... to be honest, I don't understand either, but there's no hostility in him."

"Aren't you angry?"

“No.” Frillie said firmly, which relieved Philon. Then she looked at Ash and lectured him, “Lord Ash! You must never say such things again, understand?”

"...To be honest, it really makes me sad that a child has grown up to know so much about these things."

"I'm not a child. By the way, Lord Ash... next time we meet, you must thank the other person properly and apologize sincerely!"

"Um....."

"And bullying is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable! Politeness is essential! After all... that child must be the daughter or granddaughter of a high-ranking figure in the Magic Association, right?"

"...So, I wasn't bullying anyone."

The misunderstanding caused by their differing images troubled Ash, but he could only nod silently for the time being.

Then, under the unsure of what expression to make, I wrote my name on the document. More than anything else, I felt frustrated that I had to take this kind of exam.

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After leaving the Magic Association, the group went their separate ways.

After learning that Ash hadn't sold the house where she used to live, Philon decided to go back to her hometown to live... not only because she wanted to go back to her hometown, but also because she felt that this would save her a lot of money on accommodation.